Self air conditioning bulk commodity railway car



SELF AIR CONDITIONING BULK COMMODITY RAILWAY CAR Filed April 1'7, 1943,3 Shee'ts Sheet l INVENTOR. BY 7 SELF AIR CONDITIONING BULK COMMODITYRAILWAY CAR Filed April 1'7 5 SheetsSheet 2 x J X ,9

llrllrlll INVENTOR. -Y /Zw%a;;w

v 1 1: l I i r 1/ 5 I 1/ X l Q mww V m f M x m V l w K K I f v v R\ sATTORNEYS Oct. 17, 1944, A. A. JOHNSON SELF AIR CONDITIONING BULKCOMMODITY RAILWAY CAR Filed April 17, 1941 C Sheets-Sheet 3 //b wN/ A;55197' A. JOHNSON IN VENTOR.

ATTRA/EYJ.

day.

Patented Oct. 17, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF] C E SELF AIRCONDITIONING *BULK COMMODITY RAILWAY CAR Albert A. Johnson, New York, N.Y. Application April 1'7, 1941, Serial'No. 388,971

3 Claims.

ice bunkers in a standard size refrigerator car thereby increasing thepay-load carrying capacity of the car; eliminate the cost of two icebunker equipment, four roof ice hatcheaand customary floor racks; tomaintain uniform predetermined temperature within the car atall timeswhich is desirable in the bulk shipment of citrus fruits and the like;which permits the shipment of riper fruit and the cooperative marketingthereof; to

facilitatethe holding of bulk shipments of 'fruit and other foodcommodities in cars at their destination without loss by spoiling, forthecooling system is operable while the car is motionless as well as inmotion; and which provides a refrigerator car of relatively light weightwhen .loaded.

Another important feature of the invention resides in a novel coolingsystem embodied in a self-unloading bulk commodity railway car of thetype set forth in my prior Patents Nos. 2,186,700 and 2,186,701, grantedJanuary 9, '1940, which provides discharge chutes centrally of the carand tiltable slat floors extending from the discharge chutes to the endsof the car, whereby raising .of the floors at the ends causes the bulkcontents of the car to gravitate toward and through the dischargechutes. By reason of the novel unloading features embodied in the car,it is possible by means of my cooling system to circulate cool or warmair upwardly from beneath the slat floors through the citrus fruit orother bulk commodity supported bythe slat flooring to assure cooling ofthe fruit or other perishable commodities, throughout the height of thebulk load.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a cooling and heating.system for refrigerator railway cars in which the cooling and heatingapparatus is compactly mounted exteriorly of the car so as not to takeup pay-load space, ;-yet readily accessible for inspection purposes.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a bulk commodityrailway car having flooring which inclines from the ends of the cardownwardlytoward discharge outlets centrally of the car, there beingspray pipes at the 35 extending the length thereof.

ends of the car to which a water hose may be connected when the car isunloaded and stationary for washing-the floor, the water flowing bygravitation over the floor toward and through the discharge outlet.

Other novel'features -of the invention will-become apparent as thefollowing specification is read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

. 10 Figure 1 isa vertical longitudinal sectional view takenforwardly-"of the longitudinal center of a "self-cooling 'bulk commodityrailway car 'constructed'in' accordance with the invention, certainparts being shown inside elevation.

' Figure 2-is an enlarged fragmentary central longitudinal sectionalView through one end of the car.

-Figure3 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional'view on theline-.33 of Figure 1.

' 0 Figure A is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on theli-ne 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line 55' of Figure '1,looking toward the roof "of thecar as illustrated by arrows.

25 Figure -6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the-1ine 6--6of Figure. l with the slat flooring removed-from the right end of thecar and with parts broken away.

-Referring to the drawings by reference .char- 3o 'acters, the numeralIll designates -.my self-cooling bulk commodity-refrigerator railway carin its entirety which includes an insulated box .car body H mounted onwheel chassis I2, .the latter including .the usual central longitudinalsill IS The car body H comprises opposed side walls l4--l4 havingcentrally located. door.openings I5-|5, closed by doors .U$.l5,- opposedend .walls ||-l1, inclined .floor sections iii-58 which extend inwardlyfrom 4 the end walls .l'|-H .and terminate at the top of identicaldischarge chutes l 9-! 9 respectively disposed at opposite sides of thebeam 20 mounted on the. sill E3. The lower ends of the chutes It-IS arenormally closed by doors 2|,

4.5 while sliding horizontal perforated or slat grat- 5O Theside walls,and walls, floor, and ceiling are constructed of insulatedmaterial andwhen the doors l6 and 2| are closed, the interior of the car body issubstantially air-tight to confine the cool air which my .improvedcooling system cir- 5'5 culates therein.

Hingedly mounted within the car body as at 25 adjacent the entrance tothe opposed chutes I9I 9, are tiltable normally horizontal floorsections 26-26. Each floor section is constructed of a plurality ofspaced slats 2'! connected by transverse cleats 28, the ends of whichrest upon longitudinal rails 29 and by which the tiltable floor sections26--26 are normally supported in spaced relation to the inclined floorsections I3I8 for reasons to be presently explained. The outer free endsof the tiltable floor sections are provided with a fiagellated floorextension plate 30 which extends upwardly and outwardly to rest againstthe end walls I! to close the gap between the outer free ends of thefloor sections and the respective end walls when the floor sections areraised to unloading inclined position. Raising and lowering mechanisms3I similar to that set forth in my prior patents hereinbefore mentionedmay be employed for imparting a lifting action to the tiltable floorsections 26 during an unloading of the bulk commodities from the car,and for lowering the floor sections to normal horizontal position.

To prevent articles from accidentally entering the space between thepivoted ends of the tiltable floor sections 2626 and the inclinedstationary floor sections I8I8, I provide fixed and pivoted grill plates32 and 33 respectively, the pivoted grill plates facilitating thesliding the gratings 22 to open and closed positions.

Alined air ducts 34 and 35 extend centrally within the car body alongthe inclined floor sections I8-I B from the ends of the beam 20 towardthe respective ends of the car body, the inner ends of the ducts beingconnected by a connecting air passage 36. The ducts 34 and 35 arerelatively flat and of rectangular shape in cross section to permit themto assume a position in the space between the inclined fioor sections I8and the tiltable floor sections 26. The connecting passage 36 isslightly larger in cross sectional area than the major cross sectionalarea of the ducts 34 and 35, and the inner ends of the ducts aregradually enlarged to aline with the ends of the passage 36. The sidewalls of the ducts 34 and are provided with equidistantly spaced airoutlets 31, and the beam 26 is provided with opposed outlets 38 whichestablish communication between the passage 36 and the chutes ISL-I9.The tiltable slat floor sections 26-26 protect the ducts 34 and 35 fromthe wei ht of the load placed in the car.

The inner end of the duct 34 has an air inlet duct 33 connected thereto,the said duct being connected to the fan outlet of the evaporator orcooling coil chamber of a refrigeration unit A. The refrigeration unit Amay be of any compact standard commercial type, which in addition to thecondenser and radiator 46 includes the evaporator or cooling coilslocated behind the condenser and radiator and a gas engine driving acompressor 4!, the fuel for the engine being stored in a fuel tank 42.The air circulating refrigerating unit A may be of the kind known asType 63D manufactured by Carrier Corporation. The refrigerating unit Ais mounted in a housing 43 disposed adjacent the chute I9 at one side ofthe car, and if desired, two units A may be employed and respectivelyarranged in housing 43 at opposite sides of the chute. The front of thehousing 43 is closed by gratings to exclude dust and dirt, althoughventilating openings are provided for a cooling mechanism and for thecooling of the internal combustion motor forming part of the unit.

Supported by and extending substantially the length of the ceiling 34 isan air duct 44, the same being centrally located in Vertical alinementwith the air ducts 34 and 35. The duct 44 is relatively flat andrectangular in cross section and has opposed equidistantly spaced airinlet openings 45 in the side walls thereof. The duct 44 is connected tothe air inlet of th fan of the evaporator and cooler coil chamber by avertical air return duct 46.

In practice, assume that the car [0 is loaded with oranges or othercitrus fruit B to the level illustrated in Figures 1, 3, and 4, whichlevel is slightly higher than half the height of the interior of the carso as to leave an air space C between the top of the load and theceiling 24. The refrigeration unit A being turned on, cooled air fromthe evaporator or cooling coil chamber fan will be blown through theduct 39 and into the duct 34, a proportionate amount of cool air entersthe passage 36 and flows into the duct 35. The cool air which is nowbeing blown through the ducts 34, passage 36 and duct 35 is forciblydischarged through the outlets 3'! and 38 as indicated by arrows inFigures 3 and 4 which causes a lateral distribution of the cool airthroughout the underside of the tiltable slat floor sections 2626 andinto the chutes Iii-I9 beneath the gratings 22. The cool air risesupwardly through the slat floor sections 26 and gratings 22 on which theload is supported, and due to the irregular spaces between particlescomposing the lading, the cool air will rise in a serpentine paththrough the height of the load and contacting directly every particleand then enters the space C above the load from where the now warmer airis drawn into the ceiling duct 44 through the inlets 45 due to thesuction action of the evaporator or cooling coil fan to which the duct44 is connected by the return duct 46. The warmer air returned to theevaporator or cooling coil chamber in refrigerator unit A is recooledthereby and recirculated through the system. It will be understood thatsome means will be provided for taking in a proportionate amount ofatmospheric air to maintain the pure condition of the circulated air.Refrigerator units A of the kind hereinbefore mentioned are equippedwith automatic temperature controls but it is not believed necessary togo into the description thereof for various thermostat controls may bearranged within the car body I I to regulate the operation of airconditioning apparatus and thereby regulate the temperature of the aircirculated through the system.

Also, a thermostatically controlled heating unit 5| may be operativelyassociated with the air circulating fan of the unit A to heat the aircirculated through the system in instances where the car I0 is obligedto pass through cold areas during shipment of perishable commodities.Thus in addition to circulating cool air into the car while the car ispassing through hot areas, it is possible to circulate heated airthrough the load to prevent freezing of the load when the car is routedthrough freezing cold areas.

The car I0 is unloaded by first opening the doors 2|, coupling unloadinchutes to the discharge chutes I9-I9, Which unloading chutes may lead totrucks, special permanent retail store display containers or a storagebin. After floor gratings have been opened the center of the load isdischarged by gravity, one of the tiltable floor sections is raised tocause the citrus fruit thereon 'to gravitate toward and through thedischarge chutes l9l9 until the load on one tiltable floor has beenunloaded, after which the other tiltable floor section is lifted andthat load is then discharged through the chutes l9|9.

Whereas the air conditioning system has been shown and described asbeing incorporated in a railway car, it is to be understood that thesame may be embodied in trucks or trailers.

After the car Ill is unloaded, the inclined car floor sections I8|8 andthe tiltable floor sections 26-26 may be washed, for I provide a spraypipe 50 at each end of the car adjacent the bottom wall sections l8--l8.Each spray pipe 50 extends transversely of the car out of the path ofraising and lowering movement of the adjacent tiltable floor section 26and has a limited turning movement. When the floor sections 26 are inlowered horizontal position, the spray pipes 50 are disposed interdeiatethe fiagellated plates and end walls |1l1, and just above the free endof the adjacent floors, the plates 30 having spaced slots 52 therein inalinement with the spray openings in the spray pipes through which thestreams of water may pass. One end of each spray pipe 50 has a hosecoupling 53 countersunk in a side wall I 4 to which one end of a hose 54is connected. The hose includes a control valve 55 for regulating theflow of water from the hose to the spray pipe. The spray from the pipeswashes the top of the tiltable floor sections 26 when they are inlowered position and by raising the tiltable floor sections 26 above thespray pipe, the underside of the floor sections are exposed to thestream of water, thus both sides of the tiltable floor sections andinclined floor sections l8l8 ma be thoroughly washed. The sprayed waterflows by gravity out through the discharge chutes l9--|9, carrying withit any refuse which may be washed from the car.

Whereas I have mentioned that water is sprayed from the spray pipes 50,the same may be connected with a supply of fumigant or liquid or gasdisinfectant, whereby the interior of the car is subjected to the actionthereof for the destruction of bacteria or vermin.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferredembodiments of my invention, I wish it to be understood that suchchanges in structure and design as come within the scope of the appendedclaims may be resorted to if desired without departingfrom the spirit ofthe invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a railway car, an enclosed box-like body having a ceiling, and floorproper provided with opposed unloading chutes midway of the lengththereof; open floor sections supported in spaced relation to the floorproper, alined air inlet duct sections interposed between the floorproper and the open flooring and extending centrally thereof from theunloading chutes to the ends of the body, a connecting duct sectionconnecting the adjacent ends of the inlet duct sections, said inlet andconnecting duct sections having laterally disposed outlet openingstherein, an air outlet duct mounted within said body and extending thelength of the ceiling and disposed in vertical alinement with the inletand connecting duct sections, an air conditioning unit carried by theunderside of the body having an air discharge outlet and an air inlet, aduct connecting the air dis-charge outlet with one of the inlet ductsections, and an air return duct connecting the air outlet duct with theair inlet of said unit, whereby air is circulated upwardly through theopenflooring and through the height and length of the interior of saidbody.

2. In a railway car, an enclosed body having a floor provided withopposed unloading chutes approximately midway of the length thereof,alined air inlet duct sections adjacent the level of said floor andextending lengthwise thereof from the entrance to the unloading chutestothe ends of said body, slat floor sections overlying the inlet ductsections, a connecting duct section connecting adjacent ends of theinlet duct sections and disposed in non-obstructing position relative tothe unloading chutes, said inlet and connecting duct sections havingoutlet openings therein which open into the interior of said body, anair circulating unit carried by said body having an air dis-chargeoutlet and an air inlet, said discharge outlet being connected to one ofsaid inlet ducts, and an outlet duct located within and adjacent theceiling of the body and being connected to the air inlet of the airconditioning unit.

3. In a railway car having a central longitudinal sill, an enclosed carbody having a ceiling, a floor proper, opposed unloading chutes openingthrough the fioor proper midway of the length of the car body andrespectively at opposite sides of the sill, slatted floor sectionssupported in spaced relation to the floor proper, alined air inlet ductsections interposed between the floor proper and the slatted floorsections and extending centrally thereof from the entrances to theunloading chutes, an intermediate connecting duct section supported bysaid sill connecting the adjacent ends of the inlet duct sections, saidinlet and intermediate duct sections having laterally disposed outletopenings therein, an air outlet duct mounted within said car bodyextending substantially the length of the ceiling and disposed insubstantial vertical alinement with the inlet and intermediate ductsections, an air conditioning unit carried by said car body having anair discharge outlet and an air inlet, a duct connecting the airdischarge outlet with one of the duct sections and. an air return ductwith the air inlet of said unit, whereby air is circulated upwardlythrough the slatted flooring and through ,the height and length of theinterior of said car bod ALBERT A. JOHNSON.

